Chapter 18 - Tutorial (Hunter) - 4
Several grim reapers giggle at both Vesper and the other new recruit. One of them whispers to a colleague, "Hey, which one's the noob? Seriously, how can someone surrender to a hunter in Easy Mode? We can't even be summoned to the stage without a special condition!"
The reaper's friend chuckles, "That guy overseeing the noob is too lucky! He must have been summoned there and seized the first chance to make the noob submit."
"But who is it? The tall guy or the one with the glowing eye?"
All the grim reapers observe both Vesper and the other black silhouette man. They notice Vesper's glowing eye amidst the mist and reach the same conclusion.
"That's the Terror Mode guy for sure. No Easy Mode survivor should have the balls to dig out their eyeball and replace it with a rare rune. Only crazy sadistic bastards of that mode can do!"
"Yeah, it takes guts to equip a rune to the eye. But now that I think about it, wasn't Black Death Yuu's Squadron deployed to a tutorial zone? How did a newbie who hasn't even entered the human campfire yet learn about the rune sockets and their utility? Rather, how did they survive that elite team?"
"...True. That's unusual. Oh, didn't lord judge say that someone left? Was it one of their members?"
Speculations abound as everyone watches Vesper. He, too, gazes at the fellow new recruit with curiosity.
The TVs continue with the meeting, disregarding the commotion.
"You will receive instructions and guidelines from the mentor over there. Also, these clothes will be your uniform from now on."
Vesper nods and dons the black rag in front of him. The black cloak resembles those of the other grim reapers, and he doesn't mind. However, the other new recruit receives a thin, moldy white cloth.
The newcomer glares at Vesper and points at his clothes. "Hey! Why can't I have a clean black robe like that guy?!"
Instantly, everyone bursts into laughter and mocks him.
"No more guessing, he's the Easy Mode noob."
"Heh. Our robe colors indicate our legion's strength, overall attributes, and the strength of our equipped runes. The darker the robe, the higher our rank."
Hearing these remarks, Vesper is surprised. He looks behind him and checks Yuu's cloak.
Yuu's cloak matches Vesper's in color but bears gold lines on his chest, a mark shared by other grim reapers, including Vane and Risa.
Yuu whispers to Vesper, "Don't fret too much about the cloak's color. Concentrate on your upcoming missions and follow the mentor's instructions. Also, remember that the mentor is typically a high apostle. Listen attentively and avoid offending them."
Vesper nods, turns towards the TVs, and faces the eyeball's gaze. The entity's eye seems amused by what it has observed as it gives Vesper a meaningful look.
"We will observe your next performance with great interest... tarnished," the eyeball remarks, sending a chill down Vesper's spine.
The entity's eye inside the TVs appears to grow larger, its gaze penetrating into Vesper's soul.
"I will transport you two to your training ground first. As for the rest of you, we will proceed to the next agenda..."
Vesper and the other new recruit are engulfed in a purple beacon of light that pulls them towards the starless sky, and they vanish together.
…
The light beacon elevates Vesper higher into the sky until they reach a floating continent. His body phases through rocks, dirt, and minerals in the ground until he can see clearly again. He finds himself in the same dimly lit street and suburban area he had visited before.
Emerging from the concrete road, Vesper stands upright like a creature emerging from the shadows. Once his feet touch the ground, he regains his mobility and takes in his surroundings. He notices the familiar house he had previously encountered.
As Vesper prepares to approach the house, a voice echoes behind him.
"Hoho! Starting with a black cloak, huh? We've hit the jackpot this time. Welcome to the hunter's tutorial, junior."
"!!!"
Startled, Vesper spins around and comes face to face with a pale skeleton clad in a hooded cloak, standing on the street. The skeleton grips a long staff in his right hand and holds a purple flame orb in his left. Blue flames emanate from his fiery eyeballs within empty eye sockets, and his ominous black aura, exuding from his robe, seems to squirm as if alive.
Goosebumps rise on Vesper's skin as he wonders if this figure is the high apostle Yuu mentioned.
"My name is Xenokaz, the Arch Lich. I shall be your guide, young hunter," Xenokaz declares.
Vesper nods, mentally responding, 'Likewise, sir.'
Xenokaz rattles his jaws in what seems like laughter. "I notice you're still muted. Fear not. I can read your thoughts as long as you attempt to communicate with me. Once you complete all tutorial missions, I will personally lift those pesky curses from you. But for now, let's communicate like this."
'Yes, sir,' Vesper replies.
"You're quite polite, unlike some others. Let's get down to business. I will instruct you on how the hunter's side operates," Xenokaz says, waving his staff to conjure a skeleton billboard on the street. Words materialize in white dust, outlining the local rules for Vesper.
…
Tutorial Rules (Hunter)
1. The tutorial consists of three stages. Upon completing each stage, you can earn credits to purchase essential items for the subsequent trial.
2. Basic necessities such as food, water, trap tools, and weapons are provided.
3. Your sole objective in all stages is to prevent all survivors from completing their tasks by any means necessary.
4. Each tutorial stage begins when a survivor initiates a mission. You will be automatically summoned to the stage and sealed in a random location.
4.1. While sealed, you may spectate the activities of survivors through a designated monitor.
4.2. While sealed, you may use rune abilities to your advantage.
4.3. While sealed, you cannot physically attack a survivor.
5. You can command the stage's special spells - Interruption, Summon Guardians, and Summon Traps. You start with basic spells, but you may purchase new abilities or upgrade your current spells by spending credits.
5.1. Each spell requires "Energy" to use.
5.2. Maximum energy for the tutorial stage is capped at 100, with one point generated every second.
5.3. Unused energy points after the mission will be added to the final evaluation points.
6. Performance score is granted for specific actions and results;
- 100 Points = Successful protection of the hidden stage's rune.
- 80 Points = Total survivor elimination.
- 50 Points = Survivor humiliation.
- 50 Points = Survivor capture.
- 25 Points = Guardian capturing a survivor.
- 20 Points = Survivor incapacitation.
- 10 Points = Guardian incapacitating a survivor.
- 1 Point = Spell casting.
- X Point(s) = Value of collected runes in your personal stash.
- X Point(s) = Value of remaining runes in the stage after the mission divided by 5.
7. Runes are consumable items granting random blessings, attribute bonuses, or skills upon consumption.
7.1 Upon guardian elimination, they may drop a monster rune with various bonuses.
7.2 Upon survivor elimination, they do not drop a rune.
8. Your personal stash is securely placed at your starting location, undetectable and inaccessible to survivors. All stored items carry over to subsequent rounds and after the tutorial.
9. The Altar of Sacrifice is concealed from you, rendering it inaccessible and invisible.
10. Performance rankings determine rewards:
- S Rank: Over 100 points, rewards include high-grade skill, gear, and rune stones.
- A Rank: 90-100 points, rewards include high-grade gear and rune stones.
- B Rank: 70-89 points, rewards include a high-grade rune stone.
- C Rank: 50-69 points, rewards include extra credits.
- D Rank: 30-49 points, rewards include additional credits.
- E Rank: 10-29 points, rewards include sewing kits.
- F Rank: Less than 10 points, no rewards.
10.1 If a survivor completes a stage before you can be unsealed, there is no penalty.
10.2 If unsealed and ranked F, you lose one equipped rune to the survivors, excluding cursed runes.
10.3 If ranked F three times consecutively when unsealed, you will be demoted by one rank. If your legion rank is at the lowest, you will lose all your memory as a hunter and return as a survivor.
11. The tutorial zone is non-lethal by default. In case of death, one possessed rune is dropped, including stored runes, except cursed or bound runes.
11.1. Resurrection incurs no additional penalties in tutorial stages.
11.2. All remaining items in the stage are retained after the resurrection, which you can salvage later.
12. You will encounter survivors from Terror Mode, Hard Mode, Normal Mode, or Easy Mode. Survivors from different modes will not be grouped together. For instance, a survivor from Easy Mode cannot participate in the tutorial alongside a survivor from Normal Mode.
12.1. Certain rules, such as grace periods, initial items, and spawning sequences, may vary based on the chosen difficulty of the survivors.
12.2. Rules differ depending on the survivor's difficulty:
12.2.1. When facing survivors from Easy Mode:
- There is a five-minute grace period during which you cannot influence the stage.
- Fewer guardians are available for summoning.
- You may summon one additional guardian every 10 minutes.
- Guardians are slightly weaker than the survivors.
- Survivors start with anti-ghost weaponry and life-saving items.
- Energy regeneration rate is 20% slower than normal.
12.2.2. When facing survivors from Normal Mode:
- There is a three-minute grace period during which you cannot influence the stage.
- You may summon one additional guardian every 7-8 minutes.
- Guardians and survivors are equally strong.
- Survivors start with one basic anti-ghost weapon and one life-saving item.
- Energy regeneration rate is at the default rate.
12.2.3. When facing survivors from Hard Mode:
- There is a one-minute grace period during which you cannot influence the stage.
- After the grace period, one guardian can be summoned.
- You may summon one additional guardian every 5 minutes.
- Guardians are slightly stronger than the survivors.
- Survivors start with one basic anti-ghost weapon or one life-saving item.
- Energy regeneration rate is increased by 20%.
12.2.4. When facing survivors from Terror Mode:
- There is no grace period.
- You start with full energy.
- Up to two guardians can be summoned at the beginning.
- You may summon two additional guardians every 5 minutes.
- Guardians are stronger and faster than the survivors.
- Survivors start with no items.
- Energy regeneration rate is increased by 50%.
13. During the final five minutes, you will be unsealed and granted a tracking blessing, allowing you to locate all survivors.
14. Survivor discovering and stealing a secret rune triggers Phase 2, reducing the time limit and granting you a tracking blessing.
14.1. The time limit is decreased by 10 minutes, or to one minute if below 11 minutes.
14.2. Survivors may avoid detection with stealth-related runes.
14.2.1. If a survivor consumes the hidden rune of the stage, a bounty will be placed on that survivor. Eliminating the survivor will earn you bonus credits, while the deceased survivor will face severe penalties upon resurrection.
14.2.2. The hidden rune triggers an alarm while it is not consumed. If the rune is stored in a player's storage, the alarm will cease, and you will incur a penalty fine after the match.
15. If a survivor presents a hidden stage rune, they can request to join the hunter's faction. Present hunter may accept or deny their requests.
15.1. Denied requests allow the match to continue.
15.2. Accepted requests enable you to relinquish your duty, allowing the surrendering survivor to take your place as a hunter.
15.3. If you choose not to relinquish your duty, you can continue operating as a hunter and earn bonus credits based on the survivor's strength.
16. You are required to administer a penalty to survivors who surrender to you. Failure to enforce this penalty will result in demotion and a 100-year imprisonment.
17. Defeating multiple survivors increases stage rewards.
18. Upon completing all three tutorial stages, additional rewards based on grades are provided, with further instructions at the Hunter Plaza.
19. The most important rule: DO NOT ENGAGE IN SEXUAL ACT WITH OPPOSITE-GENDER SURVIVORS! Violation results in a curse. Report your status to the nearest supervisor immediately if cursed!